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My Amityville Horror (2012) Review

This is a mostly spoiler-free quick review:

I have always been fascinated with the Amityville haunting case and the paranormal in general. However, I’m definitely a skeptic when it comes to the supernatural. I find it interesting to think about the real events that led to this story becoming larger than life. Did the Lutz’ fake it all for publicity, or was it a case of coincidences and misunderstandings?

I decided to watch My Amityville Horror in hopes of hearing a fresh perspective on the events that unfolded in the infamous house. My Amityville Horror is a documentary in which Daniel Lutz, now in his late 40s, gives his side of what happened. Daniel, the eldest child in the Lutz house, was 9 at the time of the alleged haunting.

It is clear early on in the film that Daniel despised his step dad, George Lutz, who he refers to as a highly abusive, controlling and lacking in any kind of parenting skills. It is therefore somewhat surprising that Daniel is so steadfast that all the demonic activities that his step-father spoke of really took place.

I found the documentary to be very engaging. Daniel comes off as sincere for the most part, and he really does seem to believe that supernatural forces existed in the house. That being said, how much trust you can place in the memories of an impressionable, troubled 10 year old living in a highly volatile environment is pretty questionable. Some of his stories are just too over the top, as Daniel claims just about every paranormal activity you can possibly think of short of aliens and bigfoot, appeared in the house.

As the name implies, My Amityville Horror, is as much about how the notoriety that comes with being associated with the Amityville legend has haunted Daniel as it is about the events that took place in the house. I believe some awful things did happen with the Lutz family in the Amityville house, but they weren’t supernatural.

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5 thoughts on “My Amityville Horror (2012) Review”

I’m undecided. A lot of people claim it’s fake, but the reputation the house has endured for a reason. Maybe there’s something there after all. In any case, I’d need to see some evidence from some ghost hunters and some skeptics before I make a decision.

Unwrap the paranormal hype that’s grown up since the event. Forget you saw any of the movies or, if you can’t, declare them to be a work of fiction. Concentrate on the house and the family inside and you’ll find the disturbing truth.

I liked this documentary as well. What is apparent is that Daniel has a lot of deep-seated issues and fears and probably a bad case of PTSD. Something did happen in that house. Whether it was manifested as paranormal events or as parental abuse, we will never know. What I do know is that perception is stronger than reality, and if Daniel believes that these things happened in that house, then who are we to force him out of that perception?

I came away from this documentary with similar conclusions when I watched it back in 2013:

“The documentary is itself a kind of horror story, but it’s got nothing to do with ghosts or demons – least of all demonic pigs. Once upon a time there was a boy who hated his stepfather. The stepfather created a media circus to sell books and make money. The stepfather was emotionally and physically abusive. He hammered the story into the boy so consistently and forcefully that eventually the boy started to believe it himself.”